Like the bombing of Hiroshima, a civilian city by the USA (the only nation so far to ever use an atomic against another nation) with the intended effect of ending the war far faster than a long and drawn out conventional war which would result in more casualties, and justifiable by the failure of Japan properly declaring war before attacking. It did end the war in a hurry but at what real cost? If we only factor in number of human lives versus a larger number then all the other factors are easier to overlook, after awhile of stepping over the line a bit farther each time even torture of prisoners could be chalked up as another highly effective means of lowering the casualty rate and getting the war over quickly, but at what cost? What does it really cost a person to not only feel they have to shoot another but also torture them and bomb their children and burn down their schools and churches because it fits the numbers and popular opinion at the time?